The Hummingbird
by cherrytreehp2012
Summary: Isobel Mellark, daughter of the two most famous people alive, budding artist and ruthless killer? It has been 20 years since the great revolution but Panem is not yet at peace. Can Isobel survive this new found cruel world or will her mothers past haunt her to the point of mentality? on hiatus.
1. Prologue

_Panem, Somewhere in the wilderness, twenty one years after the great revolution..._

~0o0~

Suddenly I was rising and turning. This was it. No backing out. My heart stopped as I saw them, twenty three faces, the soft rainfall clouding my vision. Twenty three people that I knew I would have to kill. Twenty Three souls that would not make it out of this arena alive, not if "Phobos" and "Deimos" had anything to do with it. Those gamemakers needed the child of the mockingjay to win, or to die trying. Breathe Isobel. Breathe. There's the cornucopia, right there in front of me. It's packed with weapons, a huge variation of knives and daggers. This arena was designed to my needs. I know it. I flex my fingers and bare my teeth slightly, trying to look as confident as possible. I'm the opposite. Inside, the me that existed just a few months ago is crying from my impending destiny which has been promised to me, the destiny of a murderer. But that me died a long time ago. I made sure of that. But now she is resurfacing out of the shock. I grit and grind my teeth. I'm standing in the clearing of a misty pine forest, and in the distance keeping us all walled in are impossibly high mountains. I'm supposed the fight in the bloodbath, to be an epic warrior. I'm all set up to be the one the tributes will fear. The one the strongest will hunt. It's all an act really, and I refuse to be more than just a piece in their games. They want to play? Well we can play.

I blatantly ignore all I've been told and when the gong sounds I b-line for the forest. I don't even run far, I just climb a tree in which I'm well concealed and watch the slaughter in front of my eyes. I know it's time now. The fear that's been growing inside of me shuts off with the rest of my emotions, a technique I've developed after the last few months. I know that there's no escape now, just my future of horror and doom, all but ready for me to embrace. I laugh my last ever laugh, for they have turned me in to the humming-bird, the most dangerous and unpredictable weapon to exist, a human mutt, and I am truly poisonous.

~0o0~

_But a year ago I was the humming bird's polar opposite... _

~0o0~


	2. Fifteen

**AN: This is technically the sequel to Crumbling Devotion, but it's not necessary for you to read it to understand this story. **

Blinding sunlight bursts through my thin drapes as I open my eyes. I shield my eyes with my hand, causing me to sit up. I take a deep breath and stand. Judging the sun's intensity and position, I still have a bit of time to myself; I'm going to need it. Today is no ordinary day, not that I'm looking forward to it. As of midnight last night, I am fifteen years old. I never have really cared about my birthday, as I get older the weird secrets come, which I could live without.

"Good morning Panem" I say to myself softly. I tiptoe to the edge of my room where I keep hidden my most prized position. Carefully lifting a loose floorboard, I clasp my hands around a dusty book, my 'sketchpad'. I return to my small bed and draw. Sometimes I vary what I make. Today I draw a place I have never been before. My imagination produces a photograph and my pencil does the rest. Soon I have finished my picture of a place I dream of visiting someday. My page contains an ocean lapping against a cliff face. The one good thing I get from birthdays is a present, and every year I ask for the same things. I always ask for a new drawing book, a new paintbrush, pencils, paint, well you get the idea.

"Isobel!" My father calls.

"Coming!" I reply and pull on my usual jeans and shirt. I wish I looked a little more fifteen than twelve. My own brother of three years younger is gaining on me height wise! Other than being as small as an elf I have little to no figure and my chest has barely filled out. I am skinny, but that's not hard twenty years after a civil war. If you were to cut my hair, boring brown, then I would easily pass for a boy. The only decent things I have going for me are my eyes, which are deep blue.

My father has made my favourite breakfast; I can smell it as I walk down the flight of stairs. I take in the gorgeous smell of freshly made pancakes and syrup. It may be my birthday but this is a treat! On our table lie two cards and a rather sizeable package. I wait as patiently as I can for my mother and my brother, but I share my mothers tendency to be impulsive, and sit there twirling my thumbs. Finally the rest of my family appear and I get to rip open the package, which contains tons of art supplies, enough to last years. I thank everyone and insist on leaving to take a walk.

The air is extremely cool today, though it's meant to be summer. I walk through our village, smiling as I pass by the few residents of what was district twelve. Now most people consider it a wasteland, but the few who don't drifted back here, apparently. There are a lot of things I don't fully understand about the past. I learn about the war in school. I learn about the annual fight to the death, The Hunger Games. I know now that both my parents won them, once.

I find myself sitting by myself next to the slag heap. I don't know why I came here, I'm not meant to. My mother won't go anywhere near here; I think my grandfather died in the mines or something. Somebody throws a bit of dirt at me.

"Hey Mallark! Depressed much?" a boy calls. I shake my head in disbelief.

"How did you find me Hawthorne?" I counter, but pat the area of grass next to me. My best friend Matt sits down beside me. He looks about ten years older than I do, even though he is the same age. He has jet black hair and olive skin, with grey eyes that make him look much too wise for my liking.

"I know you. It's your birthday! Why aren't you wearing a pretty pink dress and playing pin the tail on the donkey?" I give him a shove but can't help but laugh. I can finally relax with Matt at my side. He is pretty much in the same boat as me, his mother was a victor. Matt has two brothers and a sister, all of which are very dear to me.

Matt and I take a walk together. I don't quite how to explain it, but we don't need to say anything to each other. We understand what the other means almost telepathically. Just the slight tilt of a head or a tensing of the eyes can show me more than words.

Just a few weeks of blissful summer holidays left until school. We don't really learn much there, they teach us useful things like reading, writing, basic arithmetic until we are about ten or so and then the school focuses for the next eight years of our lives on history and preparation for work. Coal Mining. We still have slightly fun lessons but mostly it's desperately boring. Thank goodness I have Matt to make snarky jokes with or I would have died by now.

"You sure you don't want to play musical chairs?" He says, breaking the silence in front of his house.

"Goodbye, Matt." I say and walk back home. The rest of the day is pretty normal after that. I go on one of my rare visits to my brother Lucos's room, just to hang out for a bit. My brother and I are close, enough. He is the definition of pain the butt little brother though.

The usual becomes the unusual however when I visit my parent's room. They were out in the town at that moment, and I was curious. I studied the untidiness of their bookshelf. A book, which looked old enough to be from a different century, fell out as I was fingering the binding of a book with a leaf on the front cover. I picked up the book, which was immensely heavy and dusty. It was untitled. The first page was smooth enough to be glass, and it contained the words: The Hunger Games. I read a few more pages and fell against a wall, silenced by disbelief.


	3. Meadow

I needed to see it for myself. The book turned out to the worst horror story I have ever read. It said all sorts of things I don't even want to think about. I already knew that The Hunger Games was cruel, and that they forced people to kill each other, but I didn't fully understand to what scale. Nearly 2000 people aged twelve to eighteen died. I didn't need to dwell on it, I knew. I needed to visit a specific place, the meadow.

Before even entering I can spell it. My nose starts to tingle due to the high amount of pollen. Lucos and I played here all the time when we were younger. Until now it was one of my favourite places in the world. If not with my brother I would always drag Matt here, though he prefers the serenity of the forest. I can't say I blame him, but I hate going in there. There is always a large unease that sets in when I near the place. Kind of like now.

From eyesight it looks like a normal meadow. Green grass, wild flowers, a tree or two, what you would expect really. Now I know it's a lot more sinister. According to the book my parents have, it is a mass graveyard. District twelve got bombed apparently, during the war. A part of me wishes I had X-ray vision so I could actually see behind this field's mask.

So many memories of mine are here, playing in the snow with my brother, drawing my first decent picture, practising for a dance recital. The one that sticks out right now is one of Matt. We were ten or eleven, I'm not quite sure. He was convinced that he could survive in the forest all by himself forever. We wished to be big and strong and hated being babied, even though he is the eldest. He told me that he was running away, and I should come with him. I remember staring down at his outstretched hand and pushing it gently away. I said all kinds of things to convince him to stay, but he shook his head at me. Then he kissed me, softly and quickly on the cheek. He trudged off towards the forest whilst I yelled for him to come back, which he did after a day or two. I don't know why I am thinking of this now, but the memory is distracting, it settles me.

After about a week or so I visit again. Every night I have terrible nightmares. I have a sudden surge of respect for my parents, who actually lived through it. I needed to go back. I believe if you experience your nightmares firsthand then they go away. I can sense that the air which was once clear and fresh has become thick and eerie. It does not help that today the sky has become foggy and grey. I stare into the mist, seeking clarity of mind. I feel a faint tapping on my shoulder and snap round. I am faced with a man. Instantaneously his impossibly deep green eyes lock on to mine and it becomes a staring contest, our eyes unable to blink. He has light bronze hair which is fairly scruffy and equally sun kissed bronze skin. He directs a crooked smile at me until I finally find my voice.

"What the hell are you doing? Creeping on girls in the middle of a field? Isn't that illegal or something?" I burst out and he just chuckles. My eyes narrow and the more I look at him I feel that I recognise his face. It's weird.

"Well hello would be a nicer way of welcoming me to your district, but I'll accept it. My name is Nept."

"What kind of name is that?" I challenge, still mad for some reason.

"A less stupid version of my full name. It's short for Neptune. Neptune Odair." He holds out his hand, which I blatantly ignore.

"What like the sea god? That's kind of weird."

"Like yours is any better"

"Trust me, it is."

"What is it then? Dandelion?"

"Don't be stupid, wouldn't you like to know?" I am frustrated. I eye Neptune down, waiting for him to pursue me for my name even more.

"Isobel? Where the heck are you?" Yells Matt from a distance. Neptune grins at me and walks away, pausing to say "Nice to meet you, Isobel".

I reluctantly return to Matt who tells me that he has been looking for me for ages. I listen to his endless lectures about me being too far and if I was in trouble, so on and so on. Later that evening I go to town, sent to buy some basic amenities. Then I go somewhere I was not ever supposed to go to. I pay a visit to the infamous black market, the Hob. And guess who just so happened to be there?

"Are you stalking me or something?" I asked. Neptune just looked amused.

"I'm staying here for the rest of the summer, so we will most likely cross paths at some point."

I can just about feel my eyes rolling off my head. My summer of bliss and relaxation is going to be just great.


	4. See ya soon

**AN: So I disappeared... I'm so sorry! I really meant to update sooner but I've been really busy enjoying summer and whatnot but now I'm ready to write until my fingers bleed! (That's probably not a good thing.) Well anyway enjoy this chapter; I hope to maintain a more regular updating schedule after this. :) **

Summer seemed to just float by. I can't even avoid Neptune either; he's staying with my family, funny story actually. Well, funny in the sense that it's not really funny it's more of an insaine coincidence story. The day after I saw Neptune at the Hob he turned up on our doorstep. Apparently our parents know each other, his mother (Anna or Amelia or something similar) is good friends with mine. I'm not sure whether she's a "friend" or a friend.

I should explain. You see, my parents are Katniss and Peeta Mellark, two names that every living person in Panem knows. I don't know the full story, but I know that they both survived The Hunger Games. Twice. My mother was the face of the great rebellion. That makes my family the most famous in the country. I guess that's a part of the reason that makes the bond between Matt and I so strong, we both have famous parents, his are Gale and Johanna Hawthorne. Sometimes I wish my parents would stop trying to protect me so much, sometimes I want the truth. A part of me is glad that I found that weird book they keep, but the other side of me is frightened. It's certainly not as tame as they book they keep on plants.

Anyway there Neptune is on our doorstep and he announces to me that he will be staying with us for the last few weeks of summer, and apparently this has been pre-arranged, well thanks for informing me! He strides in, dumps his suitcase in my hands, winks and sits down on the sofa. And I have to deal with this for another fourteen days. Yes, I have begun to keep count. He annoys me so much! And what's worse is that my mother is forcing me to be his personal tour guide, and he insists that I show him everywhere, meaning every dark corner and dustbin in the district.

"And here is the meadow, the end of the district, where we first met." I finish with a sigh.

"Is that a forest?" He asks with wide eyes.

"Yeah, you act like you've never seen one before!"

"Well I haven't! District four, remember? Let's go in!"

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea..."

"Scared are we? Come on Dandelion, I want to see it!"

I grudgingly lead him into to forest, but not before he freaks out over the fence. I really wish he would stop calling me Dandelion. As much of a man as he looks, he's just a scared little kitten on the inside, he jumps back when I take a dagger out of the log where my mother keeps her bow and arrow. You would think that she would keep in our house, but I guess old habits die hard. After Nept's second panic attack of the day I know he's not going to enjoy the experience of a forest filled with dangerous animals, but we continue on anyway, mainly because he's kind of cute when he gets scared. I guess district four pretty boys aren't used to places like this. I think you could label him as such. He is fairly good looking, okay, very good looking. He looks like he should be a surfing model; he has just the right amount of muscle and the right beachy look. Beachy? Is that even a word?

We walk all the way to the lake. My mother has only brought me a few times, but somehow I don't get lost. We sit on the bank and talk for a while, just staring out into the rest of the forest. It's been quite a quiet trip today, I've not had to kill any wild dogs and only a few smaller animals have shown their faces. I don't blame them really, with all of that greenery they have to live in.

I look out at the lake. It's pretty big but still warm enough for us to dip our toes in. The place is surrounded by trees and shrubbery for as far as you can see. I show Neptune the little strawberry patch and we indulge ourselves a little bit. We know that we can't stay for long but we're here now and that's all that matters. We talk about everything to do with ourselves, I even tell him about the time I threw pink paint at a spider (Spiders are my worst enemy) and gave it a little make over. Then we get up and leave the lake behind us. He grabs my hand when there is even the lightest rustling in the bushes (which for the most part turns out to be harmless rabbits) but for some reason I don't let go. Not until we reach the fence again. Then my heart starts to race. I can't think about him like that! He's four years older than me, and right now that's too old. I need to pull myself together. I realise we have been staring into each other's eyes again. He leans in a little but I snap away and climb under the non-electric fence.

~0o0~

The summer ends in just two days! I am both happy and sad, sad for the most part. After out tryst in the woods it was kind of awkward for about a day between Neptune and I but following that we went back to being friends again. Yep we're friends now. It's funny really, I never thought I would even remotely like him, he always finds some way to annoy me, but now I know that I will miss him. Even his snarky little comments. I can't believe he leaves tomorrow! Of course I can still text him, but it won't be the same. I decide to go for a walk, to have a little bit of alone time.

"Hey stranger" A person says from behind me. I turn around and scan my surroundings, not that I really need too, I recognise the voice like the palm of my own hand. I roll my eyes and grin.

"Is there ever going to be a day where you don't turn up behind me?" I say with a sigh, not that I really mind that much; it's nice to know that a guy like Matt has my back. He pauses for as if he is thinking.

"Never. Isobel Mellark I solemnly swear to you I will never ditch you."

"Well that's nice to know" I say and motion for him to join me. These last weeks of summer I have barely seen him, and now is the time to make up for that. People often joke that we should be a couple, but I really don't see that happening. I do love Matt, I would probably throw myself in front of a speeding bullet for him, but he's like my brother. There's also the fact that I'm pretty sure Lucos, although he is just twelve, has a crush on Matt's younger sister, Tatia.

We sit by our slag heap and talk about everything we have done in the past two weeks. We start by naming our breakfasts, a tradition that started many years ago. Maybe I should explain about the slag heap. Matt and I have always been friends because of how close our families are, but we never really became best friends until we were about eight years old. Our school does work experience trips to the mines as part of our training. I am extremely claustrophobic, and aided by my small size I managed to escape the group of other children, run out of the mine entrance and find a bit of grass to sit on. I remember being so scared that I wept. I wanted to run away but back then I was scared of my own shadow. Matt went after me and made me jump out of my skin when he found me.

"Don't cry Isobel, you don't need to be afraid" he had said soothingly.

"Why am I so pathetic? I'm afraid of everything!" I replied.

"Don't be afraid, if I'm not then you don't need to be either!" he whispered into my ear, then he grinned, and then he climbed the slag heap we were sat next to. I giggled and climbed it too, and for once I felt powerful and fearless.

"There," he said, "now you can come here every day and never be afraid again."

After that day we were joined at the hip. I was never scared of the mine entrance again, but when we actually go in I make him hold my hand. I smile now at this memory, and whenever I fear anything I think of Matt and it calms me down substantially.

~0o0~

"I'm getting on my train tomorrow you know, so do you want to give me your goodbye kiss now or in the morning?" I roll my eyes, which seems to happen a lot when I'm around Nept.

"Never." I reply mock sweetly. He pouts and I laugh mischievously. Curse my parents for making me do the dishes with him. As I turn to dry a bowl he grabs my wrist and pulls me too him. He hauls me really close, so close that I can feel his breath on my temple.

"You sure about that?" He questions with a smirk.

"Completely." I reply but peck him lightly on the cheek before b-lining to my bedroom.

In the morning I get up really early and sit outside my house. For a summer's day it's awfully bleak and grey. It's like the colour has been sucked out of the world. It's not cold though, which is a plus. I'm deep in a daydream when Nept taps me on the shoulder, so I nearly punch him. He's presents me with a hot mug and sits down beside me. We sit in silence.

"Are you looking forward to leaving?" I ask, turning to lock eyes with him.

"Kind of. I will miss your district though; it's so different from four."

"What are you going to do when you get back?" I ask quietly.

"Continue my fishing apprenticeship, not exciting really."

"It's better than being a coal miner." I answer in a somewhat hostile manner. We continue to stare into each other's eyes until he brushes a loose strand of my hair off my face and smiles weakly. He says something quickly which I can't quite understand, but it sounded like he said "I'm going to miss you" and then he leans in and closes the surprisingly small gap between the two of us. It's neither a long kiss nor a passionate kiss, but it's quick and sweet, and he pulls away within a few seconds. I'm quite stunned; I don't really register what has happened until it's done. Then I shock myself completely.

"You don't have to stop" I say, instantly regretting it. He kisses me again, but this time it's a proper kiss. I don't know how long it lasts, but it ends when my brother chooses the worst moment possible to come outside. It then becomes super awkward but when we go to the station to see him off he hugs me and the discomfort is forgotten. Less than ten minutes after we leave the station I receive a text: _See_ _ya soon, Dandelion. :) _


	5. Standing still for eternity syndrome

**AN: In chapter one I wrote "Mallark" instead of "Mellark", so I apologise for that! Thanks to every favourite and follow :) Please do and review (you don't have to, but I would appreciate it :)) Oh and I forgot before: Disclaimer! I do not own The Hunger Games or anything (It belongs to the amazing Suzanne Collins!) except from my OC's, and the plot. **

Four months. That's how long it has been and nothing has happened. Well, nothing of interest anyway. Just boring school, teaching us nothing new except for things about coal mining. I've decided that I'm not going to be a coal miner, which was pretty obvious. I don't know what I want to be when I'm older. I don't actually need to be anything, I'm rich for life, and I hate it. I don't really have that many friends except for Matt; it's the same story for out siblings. It's not that I'm unpopular, it's the exact opposite, but everybody wants to be best friends with Katniss and Peeta Mellark's daughter, not me, Isobel. Somebody has even asked me for autograph once, and I really don't see why, I didn't do anything other than exist. I think I want to become an artist, painting and drawing are some of the only things I actually enjoy doing.

You can therefore understand my joy when my parents announced that for a change we will be spending the winter break in district four! I was so excited! I've never been out of district twelve before, if I have I was too young to remember, and I wanted to see the world, especially district four! We are going to be staying with the Odair's the entire time! And I get to see Nept. We text a lot, sometimes call each other, but that's not the same as seeing someone in the flesh. We're just friends, close friends. Although I'm not quite sure if that's true, it seems right based on our conversations, but things might be different when I meet him again.

Next thing I know I've packed my things and we're on a train. A train! I hope Matt and the rest of the Hawthorne's have a great Harvest Festival. Apparently having a celebration in the winter is a centuries old tradition. What usually happens is decorations appear in the town square and there's always music. Most people usually have a big family meal with their close friends. I'm not sure what to expect in another district though. We don't really learn that much about other districts at school. Of course we learn that district four is fairly large and most of it is right by the sea, we learn that the main trade is fishing but the teaching ends there.

If you were expecting the train to me luxurious you are in for a shock. It's the fanciest place I've ever been. Straight away you walk straight into a huge sitting area. The walls are painted a pale blue and the furniture is a generic cream colour, but when I sit on the sofa it becomes obvious that it is anything other than generic, it's the most comfortable thing I've ever sat on! The room has a low hanging chandelier, which gives the impression that it will fall with the vibration. Lucos and I must be gaping because my mother mutters,

"You should see the Capitol trains." I explore every hallway we are allowed to visit. If this isn't a Capitol train than I can't imagine what is, because in my experience it doesn't get better than this. The beds are indescribable. It feels like you're floating rather that lying. It's safe to say that tonight I will sleep like a log. I think I just lie there for hours because after what feels like five minutes after we arrived, my father is telling me it's time to eat. If I thought the decor and furniture on this train were impressive I was in for a shock. Our dinner was called something extremely unpronounceable, but it was circles of a white meat (like chicken but richer) with some sort of cheese and a vegetable with herbs. It was the best thing that has ever met my mouth. My parents have to remind me to slow down otherwise it will make a swift reappearance, due to the richness.

"Have you guys ever been to district four before?" I ask, mid-mouthful.

"Once, briefly, but it was a long time ago." Replies my father, almost gravely. This puzzles me. Inter-district travel has only been established for about twelve or so years, and I know my parents wouldn't have gone there in that time.

"When?" I ask, ignoring warning glances from a table beside us, who seem to be eavesdropping, rude. We are sat in a fairly large dining area with about fifteen other groups and families. This is less grand that the rest of the train, but nicer than anything we have in our district. All the people here are dressed in fine clothes with fancy jewellery, whilst I'm just wearing jeans and a loose fitting shirt. I feel out of place, though the get up shouldn't surprise me that much, I know that you have to be rich to afford a train ticket. Mayor, Victor or Capitol rich.

"It's a long story Bel." He says, ruffling my hair. I let it go, at least I try to. I can't understand the expressions of warning from the other dinners. Then when I'm in my room putting my head to the pillow it hits me. The other times my parents have been on a train? The Hunger Games. But that doesn't explain the district four thing... I think back to when we learnt briefly in school about the games, I think there was something mentioned about a tour, where the winner had to visit all the districts and give a speech. That must be why! I understand now why people were looking at me; my mother gets extra sensitive when anyone mentions anything about them. With that mystery solved I close my eyelids and am consumed by the deepest sleep I've ever had.

This train must be travelling fast because by the time I've been woken up rather rudely (note to self, don't leave door unlocked as that with ensure that your brother will visit your room at 7am and throw cold water in your face), I need to get dressed as we have arrived, and what I see out of the window takes my breath away.

Nept described the district to be quite large, mostly sand and a lot of sea, but I was not expecting this! First was the overwhelming smell and taste of salt in the air. When you've adjusted to that all you can see outside is just town after town, but they are extremely small towns, with less than thirty houses each and what looks like a few small businesses. There a large warehouse like structures dotted around. When you stop looking at the buildings you can just see sand, everywhere sand past the town. It must be less than a minutes' walk! Then you see the sea, which doesn't appear to end at all. I can barely get words out as we watch this sight go by. I was not expecting this to be so abnormally beautiful.

~0o0~

The train station is in a much larger town, probably the main one because I can see the Justice Building not too far away. We're greeted quickly with his familiar grin; I can't believe that I haven't seen it for months now. I want to run into his arms and hug him, but then I remember my family is stood beside me and restrain myself. We take a truck back to his house, and when we reach it I find myself gapping yet again. The place is practically a mansion! I know that they're rich, as are we, as it goes, but never have I seen a house like this! At home we have a bigger house than most people in the district, but nothing can compare to this house. Nept laughs at my expression.

"This is your house?" I say in disbelief.

"Pretty much," he replies jumping down from the truck and leading us inside. The inside is just as impressive as the outside. As soon as we go in a women rushes forward and hugs my parents. I can only guess that this is Annie, Nepts mother. She has one of those looks that indicates beauty when she was younger. She has vivid red hair with the amazing green eyes. After the usual greetings Nept takes Lucos and I to our rooms. Predictably my little brother closes the door and sits in his room, doing whatever twelve year olds do in their spare time. This leaved Nept and I alone, and he gives me a tour.

When you say tour, in district four it seems to mean you show your guest every single cupboard in the house! And in the Odair house there are a lot of cupboards. I feel like I have blisters after all that walking! His house is amazing but I'm itching to see the district.

"So when do I get the real tour?" I ask, putting in a pleading puppy dog expression.

"Now maybe?" He says with a laugh. And I follow him outside keenly. He shows me all the main sights in the part of the district he lives in, which doesn't take long since everything's so spread out. We finish with a walk along the beach, eating something called ice cream. I really wasn't expecting it to be so cold so I took a deep bite into it and got the worst brain freeze ever. This proceeded to me being laughed at, which was utterly mortifying. When I was told to lick the ice cream it was the best taste ever. I wish we had it in our district. Inexperienced sand walkers such as I beware, the stuff really sticks to your legs. We sit down eventually and watch a bright orange sun descend over the horizon. The sea looks just like I imagined it, even better if that's possible. I'm just telling Nept the story of how a mockingjay stole my best pen when he interrupts me with a soft kiss. His lips taste salty. That's the only thought I can muster. It's not like we haven't spoken to each other since we kissed the first time, but over our texts it sounded as if we were just friends. He detaches himself from me quickly.

"What was that for?" I say, barely whispering.

"I've wanted to do that all day." He says, shrugging his shoulders. I really don't know if I want to kiss him, so I tell him that we should be getting back. My parents would have a fit if they found out about this, even though age gaps aren't uncommon back at home, just look at Gale and Johanna! I'm so lost in my thoughts that the walk back feels like seconds. And then I realise that I've been gripping his hand the entire time. We make it all the way to the guest bedroom before my knees buckle. He just looks at me and pulls my hand up to the height of his chest.

"If you change your mind," he whispered and lightly kissed my forehead, "then I'm just down the hall." And he just walked away, leaving me with the 'what just happened' variation of standing still for eternity syndrome, more commonly known as SSES. A million feelings rushed over me. Was I just over looking this or was he really being that forward. I eventually decide that I'm too tired for this and collapse onto the bed.

~0o0~

For the next week I was dragged around from, place to place like a human rag doll. I really didn't mind that much, but never the less it was still... exhausting. I enjoyed my time alone a lot, but not as much as hanging out with Nept. He hadn't tried anything since that night; in fact he's been the perfect gentleman, for the most part. It's weird, I've never been that trusting of people, it usually takes a few good years for me to decide if I'm friends with a person or not, but with Nept it's like I've known him my whole life, he's suddenly become one of my closest friends. When I tell him a joke that's not funny at all, he laughs and does that crooked smile of his which makes my heart beat faster than a train. It's two days before we're due to leave when the inevitable happens. I'm sitting in the room I've been staying in, staring out at the sea from the window pane. Suddenly two hands, blurry up close, obscure my vision.

"Guess who?" He says in a sing song voice.

"The boogy man?" I reply, making sure to add spoonfuls of sarcasm in my tone. Nept just pouts and says,

"How d'ya know?" He asks mock-sadly.

"You're the world's most predictable person." I say, sounding a tad more hostile than usual. Big mistake because next thing I know he's tickled me into a wall. "Okay, stop it! Stop it!" I cry, and he obeys. It's then when I realise how close we're standing. His hand brushes my cheek and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I'm practically standing on my tiptoes to look at his face; he's at least half a foot taller than me, probably more. It's happening again, the whole intense eye contact thing. This time feels different though, when we first met we were challenging each other, having a staring contest, but now I feel like neither of us knows what to do next. I know I want do, but with all the nerve I posses I doubt it will be enough. I have to try, I don't know why but I have to break this. I wrap my arms around his neck, pull myself up a little and close the achingly large gap between us.

I thought that before this day I had kissed Neptune Odair. Twice, in fact. But if I thought that these times counted just a little bit then I was about to be sorely mistaken. After my rather rash decision, he didn't really kiss me, or do anything for that matter, he looked truly stunned and so was I. After a second or two of nervous blinking he slammed me against the wall and it felt like true bliss. I can't pretend I'm an expert at this, I probably wouldn't even be considered a novice, but somehow instinct took over and it felt... natural. His lips really did taste salty but they were the softest things I've ever felt, and my mother has a velvet dress. My hands were tangled with his thick and now messy hair whist his hands were kind of all over the place. When the need for oxygen over took us he started to kiss my neck really intensely and it felt so good, and I was afraid that this was a dream and I was just imagining it. Reality snapped back though when he started to undo the top button of my shirt. Suddenly I felt numb and all the passion and searing heat left my body. I tugged away slightly and he immediately obliged. I felt my hands tremble.

"I know," he whispered softly in my ear, "you're not ready for that yet. I'll wait." And he simply just slipped away and left me standing there, trying to comprehend what had just happened. After I recovered I walked into the en-suite bathroom to brush my teeth, and I was just stood in front of the mirror when I noticed a very strikingly purple and strikingly obvious mark on my neck. I was going to kill him. Nept Odair had given me the world most noticeable hickey.

**AN: Wow longest chapter I've written, yet! *Sighs* I wish I could have taken that a little bit further but I can't for two reasons: 1) I promised no smut. 2) Isobel is 15 years old. 3) Are they even in a relationship? I don't know yet, we'll see ;) Love and hugs from moi xoxo**


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